Former Spar Proteas goal attack Lefébre Rademan has described her netball career as nothing short of amazing. The 29-year-old has called time on career on court after donning the green and gold on 35 occasions.
The former Free State Crinums player stepped onto the court for the first time at the age of seven after the netball bug bit her in primary school. Her journey in the sport saw her evolve and grow, representing South Africa and her province in various stages of the sport.
She was also part of the Crinums squad that took home the silver medal in the 2020 Telkom Netball League after her side got defeated by six-time champions, the Gauteng Jaguars. In the same season, she was named the Best Shooter of the tournament. She was also named the 2019 Varsity Netball Player of the Tournament with the University of the Free State which finished third in the competition.
Rademan says calling time to her career has come at the right time.
“I just felt like it is the right time. I think my mind and my journey were sorted and how I was busy at the school as well. It was all part of the journey. It just kind of happened and it felt like the right time,” explains Rademan.
Rademan spent three seasons in the United Kingdom before returning home. First, she was with Pulse before she joined the LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons, later she played alongside compatriot Sigrid Burger, at Severn Stars for a season. An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury disrupted her second season with the Dragons.
She suffered the ACL injury during the Proteas 54-48 loss to the She Cranes of Uganda at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She had only just been on the court for five minutes before the injury forced her out of the competition. She credits the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS) for helping her recover and overcome her injury and be able to be in the 15-player squad for the World Cup.
“I had my ACL at the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup was just around the corner, it was just God’s plan and his timing. Everything worked out and I am so grateful for the people at SAS in Stellenbosch, especially Johan van Wyk. I had rehab there. I did everything to be in the World Cup, it was my netball dream. It was tough for me not to be part of the 12, I was in the squad of 15 but I am grateful for the opportunity that I received,” she says.
Rademan made her Proteas debut at the 2019 Africa Netball Cup in a match against Lesotho in which South Africa obliterated the neighbours 106-10 in the opening match of the continental competition.
Although Rademan was part of the 15-player squad to represent South Africa at the 2023 Netball World Cup, she unfortunately didn’t make it on court. She was one of the reserve players together with Owethu Ngubane and Refiloe Nketsa. Rademan says not being able to play in the global spectacle in front of the home crowd was one of the most heartbreaking moments of her netball journey.
“That was obviously heartbreaking because I worked to be in that squad but it didn’t happen like that. But that made me stronger. I learned a lot. I was still being a good teammate, supporting my teammates although it was very tough. It was heartbreaking but it’s part of life and that is sport,” she explains.
The former Pulse wing attack has already moved to the next phase of her life. Rademan is now shaping the next generation of netball minds as the coach of Paarl Girls' High School team. She says being a coach challenges her in ways she had not thought of before.
“Even though I am not playing, it feels like I am not done. I do it every day but in my mind I am done with playing, I am not going to go onto the court again but working with the players, giving back, bringing myself to think in other ways. To be a better person, a better coach and being the best person I can be for the players, it challenges me in a different way. It feels like I am doing something else in the netball world but I am still in it. It is really a blessing and it is amazing to be in that position,” she says.
Rademan says there are plenty of highlights in her life throughout her career that hold a special place in her heart.
“I think it is definitely my time at Kovsies from 2015 to 2020 and making my debut for the Spar Proteas in 2019. Also making the Netball Super League and playing in the Commonwealth Games. And obviously being part of the Netball World Cup squad but I think my first highlight would be becoming a Protea, that is the first and biggest,” she says.